Find a bottle of Listerine in my old man's cabinet. It has been opened but been used a little only. When I look at the expiry date... May 2003 :bulging: :wow: It smells the same, tastes the same... just do not know if it kill the gems like the same.

I am not a dentist / chemist and I understand there is a reason for a expiry date. However, I believe Listerine is antiseptic mouthwash. If it has been kept away from the sunlight, provided that nobody has put in any foreign substance, I am confident it is no more / less harmful than when it is new.

What do you think?

01-27-2010, 07:15 PM

chemikaldreem

dude, how much is a bottle of listerine

01-27-2010, 07:23 PM

HC - NO "i"

chemikaldreem,

Greetings.

Your response is not unheard of. To most people who can afford to post in HoFo, I am certain we can afford to just buy a new bottle. Mind you, I still have 3 new, unopened bottles of Listerine around. However, I also believe in "utilizing" the things we consume and not to waste.

01-27-2010, 08:11 PM

matt314159

Since it's probably alcohol based, five years old is probably fine.

01-27-2010, 10:38 PM

lejudicieux

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt314159

Since it's probably alcohol based, five years old is probably fine.

It probably gets better with age, lol.

Soon you'll have a mouthwash sommelier.

01-27-2010, 11:25 PM

HC - NO "i"

lejudicieux,

*HUMOUR :lol: You make it sounds like we should have a wine guide... The Lot 01161L is the better year in Canada because it is 34% more effective...

01-27-2010, 11:38 PM

lejudicieux

"Charles, the 2002 Spearmint Scope is superior to the 2007 Listerine Whitening we bought from Venice. Have Juilo pick us up a case when he's vising his mother in Madrid."

01-27-2010, 11:40 PM

terrance_gibo

lmfao this is funny

01-28-2010, 12:09 AM

live_strong

i personally never take the risk with expired products.
they day after the expiry date it is in the garbage regardless how much is used.
my health is more important than the money i save.

01-28-2010, 12:12 AM

huskyfan23

It's perfectly safe. Some expiration dates are meaningless.

01-28-2010, 12:19 AM

504TasteThaGumb

I vote YES!! ITS ONLY MOUTHWASH...LOL..The more it sat and marinated,the more potentency.

01-28-2010, 12:26 AM

OpenWave

Quote:

Originally Posted by From: RedFlagDeals (forum)

Hey guys, Is it safe to use expired mouthwash? I have a bottle that expired about 2 years ago, but I've been using it a couple times already and it seems okay (didn't notice the expiry date until today) EDIT: Just to clarify, I didn't buy it recently, it was in my closet for a few years I guess..I kept using the newer bottles I was buying without looking further in my closet for older bottles I guess Is it still safe to use? I asked a dental hygenist, and she said it should be okay, but was not definitive, so, any dentists/oral expert opinion? And BTW, this seems like a stupid question/joke thread, but, its not really, is it safe to use? I even googled for an answer and couldn't find any definitive answers... Can an antiseptic really go bad?

Response #1: I don't think stuff like that truly goes bad. I think it just becomes less potent.

Response #2: (hehe, for live_strong) be on the safe side and throw it out? you people have got to be kidding. this person is not ingesting this product, which is alcohol based, and thus poses no risk at all. my god is our society becoming afraid of everything.

Response #3: Sheesh. It's the killer of stuff, it doesn't die.

Response #4: It "should" be ok, but like someone else mentioned, it's $4/bottle you might as well get another one.

To the two posters above, you may be correct in that it's alcohol based (and you may not as there are a good number of non-alcohol based mouthwashes out there), but the potency of the mouthwash may have been diminished significantly when used beyond it's shelf life. Not to mention that if it isn't alcohol-based, the chemical cocktail put together to make the mouthwash may have broken down, or worse, began breaking down the plastic bottle around it.

Response #5: I usually give my expired mouthwash to the vagrants. They seem to like it a lot.

lol that is just one forum! If you Google "expired mouthwash" there are pages of people asking the same question. I would have never thought this would be a hot topic.

01-28-2010, 12:47 AM

huskyfan23

I think the expiration date exists merely because that's how long they tested it for. They guarantee whatever they stated, up to that date. After that, it may not be as potent. Rather than killing 99.9% of germs it may kill 99.8% :p

01-28-2010, 01:17 AM

P5010

price aside..

i'm sure Listerine that was just sitting around is probably just as effective as it was several years ago.

but has anyone considered that the exp date is actually not for the mouthwash but the container ?

...because there is the very real possibility of some plastic having been leeched from the container which it has been sitting in over the years.

probably still safe to rinse and spit but definitely do not ingest this one.

01-28-2010, 01:22 AM

lejudicieux

Quote:

Originally Posted by P5010

probably still safe to rinse and spit but definitely do not ingest this one.